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Friday, July 31, 2015

Salleh Said KeruakA fake document is being circulated on the Internet and in the social media, which is supposed to be a draft of a charge sheet against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that the previous Attorney General was alleged to have been in the midst of preparing. Understandably, because of the implications of such a document, it has now gone viral and many people are talking about the matter.Sarawak Report, which revealed that document, claims that the draft charge sheet was given to them by inside sources and that it has verified the authenticity of the document with other ‘senior parties’. This means what Sarawak Report is implying is that the document is genuine.The story that they are attempting to spin is that the Attorney General was going to arrest the Prime Minister on the same day that he was sacked from his job, meaning that this was the reason why the Attorney General was sacked. Such an allegation will definitely upset many people and will make them extremely angry and this may even trigger unrest in the country.The Attorney General’s Chambers has denied the authenticity of this document. This document is nothing but a fabrication and the whole allegation merely a hoax meant to trigger unrest.Such actions are very dangerous because this is not just about libel or slander but threatens to cause civil unrest. This matter is already very volatile as it is and all its needs is for people to be fooled into believing the lie for it to escalate and become explosive.This has now gone beyond politics and involves national security. Action has to be taken to preserve order and to guarantee Malaysians that their security is not being placed in jeopardy.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

With my recent appointment as a Senator and Cabinet member that is going to increase the demands on my time. I will still, however, put aside some time to continue to Blog my views and opinions as I have been doing so for a while now.

Understandably, while in the past I was free to espouse my personal views, now I have to be cautious of what constitutes personal view and what is the official government line or policy. People would certainly interpret what I say as being the view of the government rather than that being my personal view.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak, for his confidence in appointing me to the Cabinet and I will definitely perform my duties to the best of my abilities as what will be expected of me.

Malaysia faces many challenges ahead with the political crisis in the Middle East and the economic crisis in Europe, which can only have negative repercussions on countries like ours. On the home front we have our own crises and this is not confined to just political.

The Prime Minister is going to require a strong and able team to help him navigate Malaysia through the next three years of global turmoil. I hope to be able to be a contributor to that effort so that we can emerge from 2020 a much stronger nation than many perceive we will be.

Monday, July 27, 2015

Salleh Said KeruakThe statement by the Umno Deputy President and Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, is that he and the rest of the Umno Supreme Council and Cabinet are totally in the dark about matters surrounding 1MDB. Muhyiddin also gave the impression that the only information he has is that which he obtained from the newspapers -- further giving an impression that newspapers such as The Edge should not be suspended since it is a very valuable source of information for the government and if not because of these newspapers even the Deputy Prime Minister would not know what is happening in the country.This is not only a very mischievous statement meant to create the wrong impression but it also insinuates that the rest of the Cabinet members are total idiots who do not what is happing. What do they discuss at the weekly Cabinet meetings, then, or do the Cabinet members just go to sleep?I know that matters discussed during the Cabinet meetings are classified and are covered under certain laws that make it a crime to be in possessions of Cabinet papers or to reveal matters discussed during Cabinet meetings. However, I know for a fact that what Muhyiddin is insinuating is not true.Muhyiddin not only paints a very bleak picture of the Prime Minister but also that of the entire Cabinet, the Deputy Prime Minister included. Is Muhyiddin saying that those Cabinet meetings that he personally chaired were also on the same basis? Is he saying that he is totally in the dark about the Cabinet meetings that he himself chaired?It is clear that Muhyiddin’s statement yesterday is a disguised vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister for allegedly keeping the entire country in the dark. In that case, the noble and honourable thing for Muhyiddin to do is, just like what Tun Musa Hitam did, to resign to demonstrate that since he no longer has confidence in the Prime Minister then based on principles he can no longer remain in the government.

Friday, July 24, 2015

I have read comments in the social media by some critics of the government that the Royal Malaysian Police and the Malaysian media cannot be trusted so anything they say must be taken with a pinch of salt.

Well, now we have the leading Singapore newspaper revealing the details of an interview it had with Xavier Andre Justo who is currently in a Thai jail. And what Justo said was based on what he told the Royal Thai Police.

It is now very clear that The Edge did deal with Justo. It appears, however, they were not able to complete the transaction because Justo was arrested before the money could be transferred.

According to Justo, the delay was due to The Edge not being happy with the way the money was going to be transferred, which would leave a paper trail. They wanted to make sure that nothing would be traceable.

Finally it was agreed that the money would be transferred through a ‘middleman’ who would then transfer the money to Justo. This would protect The Edge from any traceable links with Justo. So The Edge already knew that what they were doing was wrong and they wanted to cover their tracks.

The Edge says it never paid Justo anything because it never intended to pay in the first place. Justo says he does not know if the money was actually paid to the ‘middleman’ in the end because he was arrested before he could receive any money. Based on what Justo said there is always a possibility that the ’middleman’ did receive the money and is still holding on to it.

Whatever it may be, even is it is true that The Edge cheated Justo of his money like they said they did, the fact still remains that there were dealings and many negotiations on top of that from the look of things.

The fact that The Edge may have cheated Justo or never intended to pay from the beginning is one thing. That there were dealings between The Edge and Justo is an undeniable fact. And that is what the whole issue is about, not the issue that Justo was cheated of his money.

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Months ago there was already talk that DAP was funding the anti-ulama’ group within PAS that was trying to oust the ulama’ faction. This has created the perception that this group, who are now in the process of setting up Gerakan Harapan Baharu (GHB), is being financially-backed by DAP.

“The question of DAP going around distributing funds does not arise," The Sun Daily reported Kit Siang as saying.

Free Malaysia Today, in turn, reported Kit Siang as saying that DAP also needs funding and whoever offers donations DAP will accept and the question of whether DAP gives donations to others does not arise.

This is actually neither a denial nor a confirmation but sounds more like the issue is not important enough to discuss. But then it is important enough to discuss since GHB is not a legal entity and therefore would not have a bank account yet.

So how is the funding being done? And who is it that is paying this money? Since it cannot be by cheque then it must be in cash or is it banked into a nominee or trustee account?

The keyword here is transparency, which is the song DAP has been singing. However, from the sound of it, there is no transparency as to whether DAP is funding GHB and, if it is, whether the funding is being done in a transparent manner with proper details and accounting records or whether it is being done unofficially through nominees.

If DAP was subjected to the same standards that it is subjecting others, then we can say that DAP has now come under suspicion and due to this suspicion DAP will now have to prove that it is not guilty of breaching any laws and has followed the law in the way it is financing GHB, unless DAP has evidence that it is not funding GHB.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

We could do one of two things: 1) Drop the matter like a hot potato and walk away, or 2) Get hold of everything so that the truth can be uncovered. We decided we had to pursue the truth.

There is actually a third alternative. And that is to report the matter to the authorities and hand over the evidence. That, The Edge did not do. And by not reporting what they viewed as a crime means The Edge itself had committed a crime. So under these circumstances you cannot claim to be a whistleblower and demand protection that a whistleblower would get.

On Monday, The Edge handed all the evidence to the Special Task Force and on Tuesday to the police. Why was the evidence given to the police only on the second day and was it a duplicate of that same evidence that was handed to the Special Task Force?

This needs to be confirmed because the public does not know whether it is two sets of the same evidence or two sets of different evidence. The only way to find out would be for the Special Task Force to hand its evidence to the police so that a comparison can be made.

The IGP said that the police has its own forensic experts and they will be doing a forensic test on the evidence to establish whether any of it has been doctored. If the Special Task Force does the same then there is not only a danger of duplication but also of contradiction. And this will confuse an already confusing situation.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

We are hearing contradictory statements from PKR, PAS and DAP that make up the coalition called Pakatan Rakyat. No doubt it is not a legally registered coalition like Barisan Nasional but it is still recognised as a coalition even if it is a loose one.

The issue now is: does that coalition still exist? We are hearing one party saying ‘yes’ and the second party saying ‘no’ and yet a third saying it is an internal issue between the first two parties and does not involve them, the third party.

We are still not clear as to whether PAS has been kicked out of Pakatan Rakyat. That seems to be the picture being presented although PAS denies it and insists that it is still in the coalition, which is supposed to no longer exist according to DAP.

If what DAP says is correct -- and they have asked the PAS representatives in the Selangor State EXCO to resign -- that would mean only DAP and PKR still remain in the Selangor government.

With DAP’s 15 seats and PKR’s 13, that would give them only 28 of the 56 seats, or exactly 50%, and this means Selangor is now a hung government.

The alternative could be for one or two of the PAS State Assemblypersons to resign from their party and announce that they are now independent but ‘PKR-friendly’. This would give them 29 or 30 seats in Selangor and therefore they would now have a simple majority.

Pakatan Rakyat has to make up its mind and not keep the people in ignorance. Either Pakatan Rakyat does or does not exist. It has to be one or the other. It cannot be both at the same time.

Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali will definitely not make any decision on sacking PAS because he owes PAS a debt for making him the MB. But then to continue supporting PAS means he must defy his own party, PKR. And this, too, is a problem.

And that is why Azmin had decided to do nothing -- so that he offends neither PAS nor PKR. But in politics this is not possible because you need to declare which side of the two warring factions you are on.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s latest Blog posting is not very clear. It sounds very much like he is on the defensive and is trying to justify his actions by comparing it with what sometimes happen in other parts of the world. That is like saying since some countries use the military to oust a civil government then what is wrong if we also do the same in Malaysia.

Dr Mahathir equates BR1M as vote buying. There are some who would say the same thing about the NEP. If the NEP had ended in 1990 as planned then there would have been a strong possibility that Umno would have lost power and the opposition, which included Semangat 46 at that time, may have taken over.

So Dr Mahathir did not end the NEP because he felt it would have meant the downfall of Umno and he extended it another 25 years until today. While some call it an affirmative action plan others call it vote buying.

Dr Mahathir says he wants the Prime Minister to resign to save Umno. However, many of Dr Mahathir’s comments, especially today, are not complementary to Umno. Dr Mahathir actually paints a very negative picture of Umno although he makes it appear like he is attacking the Prime Minister and not Umno.

I worry that Dr Mahathir in his obsession to bring down the Prime Minister no longer cares whether in the same process he brings down Umno. This is what the Malays would call marah nyamuk, bakar kelambu.

Dr Mahathir wants 1MDB investigated. That is already being done. Yet he is still not satisfied and continues to attack the Prime Minister. I have asked this question before: does Dr Mahathir want to know what happened to 1MDB or does he want the Prime Minister ousted never mind whether there is or is not any wrongdoing in 1MDB?

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai Nurul Izzah Anwar said that the violence at the Low Yat Plaza over the weekend is the result of BTN indoctrination. I would like to remind Nurul Izzah that her father, Anwar Ibrahim, was one of the key players in BTN when he was in the government.

The Low Yat incident was a dispute over a mobile phone that was turned into a racial issue. It actually had nothing to do with race. It just happened to be that one party in the dispute was Malay and the other Chinese.

And this is a problem created by the media, the social media included. When a dispute between two people occurs why does the media insist on mentioning the race of those people as if race is the issue? It is merely a dispute between two people, not between two races.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has demonstrated how serious he is at curtailing this problem or else it could have been worse. The Prime Minister is not playing favourites when it comes to racial issues and it does not matter who are involved -- all will be arrested irrespective of who they are.

Those of us in Sabah and Sarawak support any strong action by the Prime Minister to stop all this racism once and for all without fear or favour. Probably this is the time to apply preventive detention so that we can stop bloodshed before it happens rather than take action only after lives have been lost.

In an interview with The Malaysian Insider three days ago, Tun Musa Hitam suggested that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak take leave while the Special Task Force completes its investigation regarding 1MDB.

I don’t think that is an advisable suggestion. First of all, there is no such provision in the Constitution. First Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman took six months leave to campaign in the general elections while Tun Dr Mahathir took two months leave to go on holiday. In both these cases the country was handed to their Deputies.

But in both these cases there was a fixed timeframe. What Musa is suggesting is indefinite leave with no timeframe. That is certainly not possible because it would create too much uncertainty and instability. Malaysia cannot afford such uncertainty and instability, which will not be good for the country.

Musa also admitted that Dr Mahathir has removed three Prime Ministers before this and is a lifetime critic of any government that does not conform to his mould. In other words, if you do not do things the way he wants then Dr Mahathir will remove you.

What is most interesting is the statement that Musa made: "Dr Mahathir has made it impossible for party members to remove Najib as party president because he ensured it could not happen."

This means unless Najib voluntarily resigns or goes on leave there is nothing Dr Mahathir can do. Dr Mahathir is now a victim of the very system that he created to make sure that a Prime Minister cannot be removed.

Yesterday, Sarawak Report published an article quoting Tony Pua regarding his statement on 1MDB. Has the PAC appointed Tony Pua as its official spokesman and is Sarawak Report its official organ?

Surely there is a confidentiality clause in the terms of reference for those who sit in the PAC and the members would have to maintain a certain level of professionalism.

When Tony Pua makes a statement he talks as a member of the PAC and this gives an impression that this is the PAC’s official stand or opinion. Is this so? If so then the PAC must clarify this so that the public will be aware of it.

Furthermore, with the many statements being issued, we get the impression that the PAC has already concluded its investigation and if that is so can the PAC tell us what those findings are and is what Tony Pua releasing through Sarawak Report that official report?

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad made a point today in his Blog posting regarding whistle-blowing. While he argues his case well, as he usually does, there are certain things that he has omitted in his arguments.

Yes, we do have a law that is supposed to protect whistle-blowers who report a crime. But that does not mean you are at liberty to post confidential documents on the Internet or circulate them to the media. You are supposed to lodge a report to the police or to the Anti-Corruption Commission with the supporting evidence so that the right authority can investigate this matter.

The law is meant to encourage those who have information regarding a crime to report that crime. It is not to encourage people to publish details of that alleged crime that has not been confirmed yet.

We cannot have anyone simply accusing so-and-so of a crime and then claim that he or she is a whistle-blower and hide behind the protection of the law. What if later that allegation is proven false? Can that person claim he or she did not know the information was false and get away scot-free?

The reputation of that person being alleged of a crime would be ruined and even if later it were proven that the allegation is false that would not erase the stigma. People will still say that person is a criminal and that there was a cover-up.

Dr Mahathir in his Blog posting today has misrepresented the issue and has made it appear like whistle-blowers are not welcome and if they do whistle-blow they, and not the criminal, would face punishment. That is not what the situation is and it is very mischievous of Dr Mahathir to suggest so.

If you think your neighbour may have raped his own daughter and you have grounds to believe so, you report this neighbour to the authorities. You do not go around to every house and inform the entire neighbourhood about this ‘crime’ and in the end it is proven false.

The stigma that the neighbour accused of raping his own daughter will face will remain forever. And you cannot claim that you are protected by law to make this false allegation.

Worse of all, the foreign media is being used to perpetuate this allegation against Malaysia’s Prime Minister. At one time Dr Mahathir accused the foreign media of trying to subvert a democratically elected government. Now he is using this same media that he accused of being under Jewish control to undermine the government.

Saturday, July 11, 2015

The basis of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s attacks on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is that 1MDB has lost RM42 billion. In fact, the term Dr Mahathir used was ‘disappeared into thin air’.

Yesterday’s interim report, however, has shown that RM42 billion has not disappeared as Dr Mahathir alleged. No doubt this is only the interim report and the full report is not out yet. However, based on this early report it has already been established that the allegation is incorrect.

We can give Dr Mahathir the benefit of the doubt and assume that he is unable to understand financial reports and that he accused Najib not out of malicious reasons but due to this inability.

However, whatever the reason may be for this attack on Najib, Dr Mahathir has created public uneasiness and it has also allowed these allegations to be used by the foreign media to create instability in the country.

Considering this is the holy month of Ramadan, Dr Mahathir should apologise to Najib for this serious injustice not only to the Prime Minister but also to the entire nation.

Yesterday, the Financial Times said that anxiety regarding the 1MDB bailout has pushed down the Ringgit. The Malay Mail also carried that report and repeated that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak should not deny that 1MDB had transferred RM2.6 billion into his personal account.

We must note two things about that report. First is that whatever is being done with 1MDB is being called a bailout. Secondly, Najib must confess that he stole RM2.6 billion of 1MDB’s money.

In other words, it is an open-and-shut case and no longer a matter that needs to be investigated. In that case why ask for an investigation to be done if the conclusion has already been decided?

The allegation is that foreign investors have lost confidence in Malaysia because of the many financial scandals. What foreign investors are more worried about is that there is no banking secrecy in Malaysia and all your financial details can be freely distributed and posted on the Internet.

That the investors find even more frightening.

There may be efforts to topple the Prime Minister but when this is done to the extent of sabotaging the reputation of the country then the damage would never be easy to repair.

Take the example of the damage done to the reputation of Malaysia’s judiciary. About 30 years ago Malaysia’s judiciary came under attack from the political masters at that time and until today the Malaysian judiciary has never fully recovered.

Foreign companies that sign a contract with Malaysian companies no longer want any dispute to be settled in a Malaysian court. They will insist that the contract states that the matter be heard in an overseas court or through international arbitration.

The trust on the Malaysian judiciary has been damaged. And now they are damaging the reputation of Malaysia’s banking system. And in both these cases this was because of attempts to remove the Prime Minister.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Constitutional expert Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari said today that the only way to oust Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is to pass a vote of no confidence in Parliament.

Aziz was responding to the rumour that was circulating yesterday that the Deputy Prime Minister and the Attorney-General had met His Majesty the Agong to discuss the removal of the Prime Minister.

There is no provision in the Constitution for the Agong to remove a Prime Minister. The Agong only appoints a Prime Minister and Malaysians need to be aware of this fact.

A former minister, in turn, said that Umno members must choose between the party and the party president. He appears to have forgotten that the Umno members have already chosen and they have chosen to support the Prime Minister rather than those who are plotting his removal.

The former minister is suggesting that the country will go through a political and economic turmoil if Najib is not removed as Prime Minister. If the country does go through any turmoil it is going to be because of the actions of those who are trying to oust the Prime Minister and in doing so are creating turmoil.

The perception being created is that the Prime Minister is about to fall and can no longer hold on to power. If that is so then why do they need to continue the attacks? If the Prime Minister is about to fall then just sit quiet and wait for it to happen.

The fact that the attacks are continuing is because they know that the Prime Minister is not about to fall like they say he is. If not there is no need for all these attacks. And if the Prime Minister can be brought down through these attacks it would have already happened considering how fiercely they are attacking him only.

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Yesterday, a WhatsApp message that said Sirul Azhar Umar was going to break his silence and will be testifying in an Australian court that Rosmah Mansor had personally ordered the killing of Altantuya Shaariibuu went viral.

I found that message very hard to believe for a few reasons. First of all, why should Sirul testify in an Australian court? Was Sirul charged for anything in an Australian court? And if they are suggesting that the Australian court is going to conduct a trial to investigate the murder that is also not logical because the matter is out of Australia’s jurisdiction.

Anyway, that message was ‘hot news’ yesterday but today Sirul’s lawyer said that the message was a hoax. I am not surprised by the lawyer’s announcement but what did surprise me was the fact that many people believed that message, even some intelligent people and those who should have known better.

It appears like nowadays people are prepared to believe anything as long as it is news unfavourable to the government or to the government leaders.

The second reason I find yesterday’s WhatsApp message unbelievable is because Sirul had already testified in court and he already said he does not know whether anyone ordered the murder and if so who did. All he knows, Sirul said, was that this was the initiative of his boss, an inspector, and he does not know more than that.

Malaysians tend to forget what was said earlier or analyse what is said now compared to what was said earlier and whether there are any discrepancies in that statement. Once a statement is inconsistent then we have to treat the person making that statement as unreliable.

In fact, even Islam states that the testimony of an unreliable witness cannot be accepted in a Shariah court. And the common law court says the same thing. So Malaysians must learn how to think before accepting what is being presented as fact.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Lim Kit Siang wants Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to head a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) that he wants set up to investigate alleged wrongdoings in 1MDB. That is similar to asking Dr Mahathir to head a RCI to investigate the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah or a RCI to investigate the Perwaja fiasco or the RM30 billion Forex scandal of 1992/1993.

Dr Mahathir is an interested party and interested parties cannot head any inquiry because this would tantamount to a conflict of interest. I am surprised that a veteran politician like Kit Siang does not care about conflict of interest. I am sure if it is proposed that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak heads the RCI Kit Siang would be the first to scream conflict of interest.

Dr Mahathir has also criticised Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman for speaking in defence of the Prime Minister and the country. When Dr Mahathir was Prime Minister he would expect the same thing and if his Foreign Minister spoke against him or against the country he would immediately be shown the door.

Dr Mahathir seems to have the impression that the Prime Minister is shaming the nation when it is he who is washing dirty linen in public. Dr Mahathir wants 1MDB investigated but when that is done he is still not satisfied and cannot wait for the results of this investigation.

As I have said before, what is it that Dr Mahathir wants? Does he want the truth or does he want to oust the Prime Minister? And does he want to oust the Prime Minister because he cannot make Najib do what he wants and he wants Najib replaced with someone else who can be controlled and told what to do?

One of the DAP leaders said that the government must be considered guilty until proven innocent and that the innocent until proven guilty rule cannot apply. This DAP leader was targeting his comment at Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak (and Umno as well) who must be regarded guilty of the Wall Street Journal allegation until and unless he can prove his innocence.

This is a very dangerous concept and if applied would have far-reaching consequences. To subject a government or government leader to the guilty until proven innocent rule would open the country to an injustice that, just like the Pandora’s box, once opened can never be closed again.

Was not Iraq and Saddam Hussein subjected to this same rule? Iraq was accused of manufacturing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and was assumed guilty until its innocence can be proven. The allied forces then bombed Iraq at the loss of countless lives and after the country was occupied it was discovered that there were no WMDs after all.

Pakistan is being accused of supporting the Taliban. The fact that the Taliban originated from Pakistan makes this allegation believable. Even Aljazeera said that Pakistan is behind the Taliban.

So what should the free world do? Should it now bomb Pakistan as well like it is doing to Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan? And what if Pakistan fights back using nuclear weapons? Would that not only mean an outbreak of WWIII but probably the end of the world as well?

So you see, statements by DAP leaders that it is morally right to consider a country or its leaders guilty until proven innocent is an irresponsible stand that can result in serious repercussions. These are not the type of statement we would expect from such people.

Saturday, July 4, 2015

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been accused of stealing US$700 million or RM2.6 billion in cash and of transferring it into his personal bank account.

According to Malaysiakini, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail has confirmed that he has seen the documents related to the allegation that US$700 million or RM2.6 billion in cash has been transferred it into Najib’s personal bank account. Gani, however, issued a statement contradicting the Malaysiakini report.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has asked the government to act immediately on allegations that US$700 million or RM2.6 billion of 1MDB’s cash has been transferred to Najib’s personal bank account.

“This allegation is very serious and can affect Najib’s credibility and integrity as prime minister and head of government. Therefore, it is my stance that the relevant investigative authorities, such as the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Malaysia, Royal Malaysian Police with the cooperation of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, must act immediately to investigate all allegations made against Najib,” said Muhyiddin, according to Malaysiakini.

PKR, in turn, has issued a statement asking Najib to prove he is innocent of these allegations. If he really did not steal US$700 million or RM2.6 billion of 1MDB’s cash and did not transfer it into his personal bank account then he must prove it.

According to PKR, Najib has to prove that he is innocent of the allegations. PKR did not say that the AG must prove Najib’s guilt. So it looks like the new standards of justice is you are guilty until proven innocent.

DAP wants the Cabinet to pass a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister and asks whether the AG dares take action against Najib if there is evidence of any wrongdoing. DAP is casting doubts and is suggesting that even if the AG does find evidence of a crime nothing is going to happen.

DAP is pre-empting the AG and its telling the public that the AG will clear the Prime Minister come what may. In short, DAP is suggesting that the AG is not an honest man and cannot be depended on to do the right thing. Why even bother, then, to ask the AG to investigate this matter?

Friday, July 3, 2015

Malaysia is abuzz today regarding the later expose by Sarawak Report (SR) and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). I am not going to get too excited just yet at this so-called latest revelation because this has happened before and in the end we discover that it is a dud ‘bomb’.

SR refers to ‘investigators’ while WSJ says ‘Malaysian investigators’. We do not really know which ‘investigators’ or ‘Malaysian investigators’ they are referring to and whether, in the first place, this report is accurate. After all, it is yet to be confirmed whether the earlier documents that SR published are legitimate or have been doctored and police investigations are still ongoing.

This expose reminds me of a similar incident in 1999 when a list of bank accounts owned by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin, plus their wives, children and close friends, were revealed. The list even showed bank account numbers and amounts in that account that, combined, totalled billions

On further checking, however, not only do these bank accounts not exist but the Israeli bank that was named was fictitious as well. So even the bank does not exist. But until today, 16 years later, that list is still circulating on the Internet and some even consider it as ‘hot news’.

SR says it has the documents to back up their claim. In that case let us wait to see those documents and also wait for them to reveal the source of those documents. Only then can we make an informed opinion. If not this has to be treated as just one more spin in a series of spins that have all not been proven correct so far.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Sabah Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, however, says it was not right to jump into conclusions as yet, contradicting CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak’s view that people must know the truth behind the Justo fraud, because, to date, everything are just allegations and investigations are still ongoing. — Filepic

KOTA KINABALU, June 30, 2015:

Xavier Justo, the Swiss national who was arrested in Thailand over allegations of attempting to blackmail his former workplace — PetroSaudi International Ltd (PSI), is somehow being portrayed as a hero by certain quarters.

“Malaysians have a weird mind when it comes to issues like these.

“What if data theft is used to bankrupt the country? Would Malaysians still consider that thief a hero?” said former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak.

Commenting on Justo’s arrest by the Thai police last Wednesday, Salleh, who is also the Sabah state Speaker explained that data theft was considered a very serious crime that had no territorial boundaries, likening it to terrorism, money laundering, drug trafficking and child pornography.

“People would condemn you if you robbed a bank, but the same outrage is not being demonstrated in cases of data theft,” he told The Rakyat Post.

Salleh was asked to comment with regards to Justo and his alleged blackmail of PSI, an international company based in Saudi Arabia, which had drawn attention in Malaysia as it had established business ties with national sovereign fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Following the attempted blackmail, several e-mails and documents were published by the Sarawak Report, a politically-motivated blog, to the extent of creating various allegations against 1MDB.

Salleh, however, said that it was not right to jump to conclusions as yet, contradicting CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Razak’s view that people must know the truth behind the Justo fraud, because, to date, everything was just allegations and investigations were still ongoing.

“According to news reports, Xavier Justo has been arrested on suspicion of blackmail. That is all. And, also according to news reports, he allegedly tried to blackmail PetroSaudi International with correspondences, documents, e-mails, etc, obtained illegally.

“I think this allegation of blackmail and data stealing have never been denied so far. However, the allegation that these e-mails were doctored is being denied. So we will probably know in time to come the real story behind this Justo affair.

“I believe that if Justo is finally implicated in a crime of some sort there may be many other people who will be implicated together with him.

“The question, of course, is although some crime may have been committed, it is yet to be established what those crimes are.

At the end of the day it may be more than one crime and involving more than one person,” he said.

When asked whether the country and its citizens were paying for the scrapping of the Internal Security Act, Salleh said the detention-without-trial law that also allowed for preventive detention had its usefulness.

However, he said Malaysians appeared to be taken in by Western human rights activities that campaigned against such laws, whereas in their own countries such laws existed.

“If we cannot take action against terrorists then what do we do when terrorists not only murder people but also cause the bankruptcy of our country?

“Will Malaysians still talk about human rights when 30% of Malaysians are unemployed and 10% of the population or three million people are living on the streets because the country is bankrupt?” Salleh asked.

The 50-year-old ISA was abolished in 2012 and replaced with two new laws to safeguard peace and order in Malaysia.